San Francisco has its beautiful sunsets and picturesque scenery but is it a good city to work in? Finding a job is just half the battle after college, and searching for a job attuned to the degree earned is hard enough. In this moving economy, where money is never completely stable, searching for the right place to work is just as difficult. It means graduating students will need to not only find a place that has a plethora of job opening but also have affordability through taxes and incomes while still being in the area for an individual’s preference. Living in an urban setting, living in towns and rural smaller communities, and weather preference also need to be taken into consideration.
The top ten best cities to live in according to the research done by the National Association for Business Economics and the National Association of Colleges and Employers are Plano, Overland Park, Austin, Irving, Salt Lake City, Des Moines, Irvine, Madison, Sioux Falls, and Omaha. The statistics are based off of a variety of factors: number of job opportunities, employment growth, monthly median starting salary, unemployment rate, median annual income, time spent working and commuting, and housing affordability.
Plano, TX and Overland, KS have the lowest house affordability, meaning the housing is cost effective. These cities also have the highest median annual income, adjusting for the cost of living depending on the jobs of the individual it is applied to. Austin, TX is known for the highest employment growth. Salt Lake City, UT has the lowest unemployment rates, and along with Irvine, CA, they both contribute to the highest number of job opportunities. Sioux Falls, SD and Omaha, NE have the lowest unemployment rate. These ten cities are the best to live in because they allow more opportunities to up-and-coming students just out of college.
The top ten worst cities to live in are San Bernardino, Hialeah, Brownsville, Ontario, Newark, Providence, Modesto, Detroit, Fresno, and Stockton. These cities are the worst out of the 150 popular cities that went into the annual study.
There are five cities in California that are a no go for college graduates. San Bernardino, Ontario, Modesto, Fresco, and Stockton all have the highest unemployment rate. Hialeah, FL has the lowest number of job opportunities, the lowest employment growth, and the lowest median annual income. Brownville, TX lowest monthly median starting salary makes it the 143 on the list because of its bad job market ran and socioeconomic environment rank. Newark, NJ has the highest unemployment rate, lowest median annual income (adjustable to the cost of living), and the highest housing affordability.
“[Maine] has an incredibly low cost of living,” said Thomas DeBrule a Senior Criminal Justice Major.
Conducting a poll for the students of Saint Leo University have shown most want to move to the cities or out of the country. The most popular polls state-wise were Florida, California, New York, and Washington State. Outside of the country, a few of the students gave specifics on where they would want to go: Australia, Mexico, England, and Scotland. All of the Florida cities are dispersed throughout the list of best and worst, so picking a specific city is crucial. New York City fluxes and is on the higher spectrum of costs. As for Washington State, moving to the city of Seattle would be a great option since it is rated nineteen out of the 150 cities. With so many students wanting to go to California, it is a good thing that at least one city is in the top ten best.
For those thinking of moving outside of Florida, there is a lot more planning needed to be done outside of obtaining a degree. Those applying to graduate school have the opportunity to be attached to a school and dorm but those who are finding careers and going into the work force right after college must do some serious research before settling down somewhere new. Finding the perfect niche in society is a hard process with rewarding experiences.
